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 RochMl«r. Nan Yorti U609 US* 
 
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 (716) 2M- 59B9 -To. 
 
AMONG THE SOURCES OF THE SASKATCHE- 
 WAN AND ATHABASCA RIVERS. 
 
 MARY T. S. SCHAFFER. 
 
 \ 
 
 Reprinted tram THi BuiLiTiM or TH« Gbookaphical Soanv or Fmiladiuhu, 
 Vol. VI, No. 1, April, 1908. 
 
AMONG TIIK SOURCES OI' TIIK SASKATCHEWAN' 
 AND ATHAnASCA RIVERS. 
 
 Maky T. S. Sciiaffkk. 
 
 Tile primary reason for writing; tliis paper is. that it may bear 
 its quota of usefulness to any who may be inelineil to visit the 
 section described. As to tlie location of the ground covered, from a 
 glance at Dr. J. Norman Collie's map which accompanies Iiis book 
 — " Climbs and Explorations in the Canadian Rockies," it will be 
 found to be bfiunded by latitudes 51' 25" to 52' 25", and longitudes 
 116' to 118'. This is of course a rough outline, but it contains all 
 the tributaries of those two great rivers of the nnrth, which we 
 visited. Our greatest trouble in the spring of 1907, was to obtain 
 information which would be of even the smallest use in pointing 
 out the way over such almi:ist tmdescribed ground.' 
 
 Dr. Collie's book has summed up the work of himself and his 
 friends, with that of previous workers in the same field, i. c, the 
 section lying between Laggan and W'ilco.N Pass ; the Fortress Lake 
 region and the Ilrazeau country belong to Dr. Coleman. As for the 
 Yellow-head Pass, it is a matter of rather ancii. it history, having 
 been described as far back as the dnys of Alexander Henry, an 
 employee of the Northwest Fur Trading Co., who has left us an 
 interesting diary, which covers the years between 1799 and 1814. 
 The old history of the pass was of small practical use to us how- 
 ever, as it was the intervening valleys between this pass and the 
 Kicking Horse Pass (that which the Canadian Pacific uses to-day), 
 which we wished to explore. 
 
 ■ In spite of a general knowledge of the subject, we were unable to get at the 
 material, and not until after our return to civilization, were we fortunate enough to obtain 
 literature and maps which would have been so valuable to us in the far wilderness. One 
 who goes hence should carry Dr. Collie's map. This is easy to obtain, being published 
 with his "Climbs and Explorations"; Outram's map which n.romp.inics his work — "In 
 the Heart of the Canadian Rockies," may be of equal value; Dr. A, P. Coleman's 
 articles published in the Royi;! Gc^rnfliical Journals, are of great use; and James 
 McEvoy's report on the Government (icological Survey of that section is a most 
 interesting pamphlet to have. From these few sources is to be culled all the practical 
 information that can be found on the country. 
 
 (48) 
 
■ 7 Th* Sourcts of Soskalchtwm tmd Alkabatca Rnnrt 
 
 To know that the expedition «u * momentout one to thote 
 involved in its lucceu, one hai but to read the w«rningi of thoee 
 who have gone before. We n»y well call it the "InhoepitaUc 
 Land." A well-known hunting-country, many have gone into it* 
 fattneMCf , only to be driven out by itarvation, and the added loiTOw 
 of kwt, starved, or drowned hoTM*. Dr. Collie but voices that 
 which may be read between the lines of all those who have written 
 their experiences in this country. He says : " Jean Mabel's outfit, 
 like so many others, ran short of provijions and the expedition had 
 to be curuiled ; and mtich good work of exploration, which might 
 otherwise have been accomplished, was thereby prevented. Some 
 day perhaps, it will be possible to obtain an outfit manned and 
 equipped with sufiicient transport and provisions to last out a trip 
 of three or four months. At present nobody seems to have mastered 
 the problem; and the prospect of numing short of food on the 
 journey remains the most serious obstacle to all projects of extended 
 exploration among the mountains." < < 
 
 That we would be tempted to dally day by day, we well knew, 
 tiwt the game was becoming, year by year, more scarce, previous 
 trips and the hard experience of others had warned us; and the 
 food proUem became a very simple matter in arithmetic. As we 
 had hopes of reaching most of the tributaries of the two rivers 
 widiin the latitudes and longitudes given previously we reckoned 
 food and ctothing for four months. The season of 1907 was an 
 oncomroonly late one, and it was not till June 30, that we were 
 able to leave all civilization behind and sUrt for the higher passes. 
 The morning of the twentieth, was anything but a t>-pical Jtme 
 day, and the first twenty miles of the Bow trail were not what one 
 might choose for a pleasure jaunt. It was qritting hail and snow, 
 which strudc not only our faces but deep faito our souls ; for tiiose 
 who had not the spirit of the wilds surging in their hearU, had 
 prognosticated all sorts of mishaps, and if one were kx)king for 
 " signs," they were about us in profusion. Our caravan consisted 
 of deven horses, one running li^t, that in case of chafed back or 
 acciiknt, there would be an extra one to use. This will seem an 
 extravagance to many, but it proved to be one of the best invest- 
 ments in the entire outfit, as the appearance of our animals showed 
 on our return to civilization, not a horse being out of commission, 
 and every one of them capable of working four months longer. 
 (49) 
 
yary T. S. ScUftr 
 
 iH 
 
 The Bow trail to the tummit of the p«u, U at the preMnt time, 
 rather » diicouraging propoeition, but there if one latitfactioa, h 
 ii one of the poorei» biU of trail that i» to be experienced through- 
 out the entire trip. It wa» of cour»e »t iu very worat thU tote 
 June day, for the mountaini were rtiU di'rharging their winter 
 anowi into the mdced and >ver-f>owing valleyi. Dr. Collie't map, 
 compiled from the work do. by himielf, Wilcox, Coleman, Drewry 
 and McArthur, Noye» and .lompun, wat our conaUnt companion 
 in the laddle. It it nece«arily far from perfect, diiUncei here 
 and there being too long or too Aort, but a very good friend to 
 have at all times. Often when the trail waa dim or obacuted, or 
 completely kwt, have I thought of and admired the men, who with 
 only an occadorJil tuggestion that the Indian hunter had been before 
 them, fought their way through the diKouraging valleyt, found • 
 pasiage •romd impassaMe gorges, and" eventually retched the higher 
 pejci of the Rocky Range. 
 
 The upper Bow Lake* and Bow Paa» were the first plunge into 
 fine Kener>-. If one may go no further, this is a trip worth taking. 
 At the summit, where the spruces remind one of a great natural 
 park, a short detour to the left leads over easy slopes to the clilh 
 which overhang Peyto Lake, the watera of which are the out- 
 pourings of the WapU neve. It is the first glimpae of the Sas- 
 katchewan country. 
 
 Here at our feet Bear Creek (on some maps Mistaya (Bear) bat 
 never locally so-called) has its rise, flows north, Ups the beautiful 
 lakes known as the Waterfowl, goes rippling, and gurgling, and 
 dancing along in happy oblivion to the superb panorama on bo«h 
 shores— Howse Peak, the sUtely Pyramid, the frownirg Bungatow, 
 and lastly Murchiaon, kising iU final identity in the turbid Sas- 
 katchewan at the base of that great, wandering, outspread, pile of 
 crags— Mt. Wilsc i The days on Bear Creek grew hotter and 
 hotter. We hurried akmg as fast as our heavily loaded horses 
 would permit, knowing t>»t each hour was adding inches to ditt 
 angry, impetuous ri °er and anxious to reach the other side before 
 we bad to swim foi it. At 4 p. m., on June 25, we had crossed 
 Bear Creek at ito month (no easy matter wher he water is high, 
 for the river-bed is covered with huge bowlders) and faced the 
 first serious proposition — crossing the Saskatchewan River. An 
 excellent ford across the North Fork may be fonnd about one mik 
 '50) 
 
'y 
 
 Till! Sources nf SajltUiheuaii and .llliabasca Kixcrs 
 
 «<■<.( of ll<ar Criek, anil wc hitc in llic nick of time, twiiitv-foiir 
 hours latir Hiiulil have meant jwinmiinj;. 
 
 With min<ls at rest. \vc canip<'(l that nijjht on a hi({h hhifT ovor- 
 lixjkin),' the North I'ork ; hchinil us rose tlie high walls i,i' Mt. 
 Wilson, while Mnrchison, Sarbaeh, rVramid, an<l the Freshfieldn 
 died away in rosy, then purpliuR shadows ; niRht came down, and 
 »c realized at last our utter isolation. The dcKir was closed for 
 many davs to come to other conipanionsliip and the situation was 
 saved from a sense of loneliness only hy nur minds beinfr devoted 
 absolutely to the destruction of mosquitoes, an occupation which 
 lasted for several weeks. Trom Hear Creek to Wilcox I'ass the 
 scenery is a succession of beautiful pictures. About ten miles from 
 the summit of the pass, the trail leaves the shinRle-flats of the 
 river and mounts a Iour and arduous hill, eventually rcacliinR a 
 point about looo feet above the valley, where the timber bein^; scarce, 
 the views of the receding and on-coming peaks are wonderfullv 
 fine. .About three miles below "Camp Parker" fan easily recoK- 
 nized camp-Rround at thi- junction of Xit;el Creek and the .Vortli 
 Fork), the now fast-dimi lishinj; river makes a deep plunRe. form- 
 ing what we have called ' Tanther Falls." .Soon after passing the 
 falls, Mt. .Athabasca comes into sight on the left: being ii,<kx) feet 
 high, and snow-clad, it is a joy even to eyes now so used to momi- 
 tains. From " Camp Parker " to the main pass is about five miles, 
 but a canyon beyond it being said to make that way impracticable, 
 the trail to the true pass on the right, is a little hard to find. There 
 is an old and much used camp among the spruces on the high 
 meadows, called " Camp Expectation." Reaching this, the forest 
 is skirted for a quarter of a mile, when a pebbly river-bed is reached ; 
 this is followed up for a short distance when a good trail to the 
 pass is struck. This hidden trail is well worth a search, any other 
 route is a hard grind for the horses. 
 
 The pass itself is long, heavy, ugly travelling; if the day be 
 cloudy, it could not be more uninteresting, but being 7800 feet 
 high, there is a fine view of ilt. Athabasca to the southwest, while 
 to the north is seen the group of mountains climbed and named by 
 Dr. Collie and his part)'. 
 
 The first drop on the north side of the pass, is a long sharp 
 hill, where a well-marked trail leads to " Sheep Camp," a name 
 well-known to hunters. By this camp rims a beautiful stream liead- 
 (50 
 
 ^' 
 
'^^ 
 
 Mtiry T. S. Sclhilh-r :„ 
 
 me from Wil,- \ l'.is«. wliicli hi- alliTH.ird iiaiiuil • Tancli' triTk." 
 Here tlio trail ili-iapptMrs :is tlioiiKli it lii.l ilrii|i|i(l into tin- lartli. 
 It may hi'lp Sdiiii.- future travillor lo know that if \k will i I's this 
 cri'i'k at tilt camp, iH-ar well In tlii' lift in llu- fiirc«t, lie will siwn 
 cnmc tiixm a very (;<ki(I trail, wliioli (|iiii-kly Uiul- to the Sii Wapta 
 ill the valley below. I.itlle Taiiitle I reek ailileil (|iiile a volume lo 
 the main river (an important branch of the .Vthaliasca ), anil with its 
 wide sliin(;le-llats and ^'tiardlan nioniitains on l>oth .sides. Imro a 
 stron;; resemblance to tlic Saskatcliewan tributaries. 
 
 I'nlike tile Saskatchewan reRion, however, horse- feeil here is 
 limited an<l camp-p;rounds conse(|uently scarce. The first po.ssible 
 stopping-place is at least two miles txlow the main -Su Wapla canvon. 
 and on the left .side of the river. lAeii that is a very poor place, 
 bein^; but a small slounb. with scarce feed enoufih for a dozen 
 horses for one night. The next feeding place is found in the 
 quick-sand bolt, five to seven miles further down the river. This 
 does not .sound attractive for the horses, but unless it Ik- earlv 
 spring, there is little -langer. This uick-.sand is not a pleasing 
 problem : it extends ilown the river least three miles, and theie 
 lieiiig no way to go round, it must be traversed. I'.eyond it, and 
 just north of the creek marked " Jonas " on the m.ap, a large rock- 
 slide of recent origin, gave us our ne.\t l)it of siud^ It was soon 
 navigated however by plowing through the niuski . )ii the wes: 
 side of the river for at least four huntlred yards, «:.en we struck 
 dry ground and a bit of a trail, and " going " was easv again. 
 Beyond the rock-slide, Jonas Creek emptied its clear waters into 
 the muddy .Su Wapta, while a little further on, and flowing in 3 
 parallel direction, I'oliokton ( reck appeared from .-imidst the thick, 
 green forest. Dr. Coleman, who named both creeks, told us later, 
 that the names bad been transposed on Collie's map, but fr>r fear 
 of still further misundcrsianding — we let them alone. licvond 
 Polmkton (Owl) Creek, a long, rather low, rocky range marks thc 
 course of the main river for miles. I-"or a day and a half we 
 followed it in all its tiresomeness. Reaching the iunction of the 
 Su Wapta and the Athabasca, and seeing that it still continued in 
 more or less broken form on down the .\tlial)asca valley, wc dubbed 
 it " the Endless Chain." 
 
 The .\thabasca at this iunction, gave us no such impression of 
 might and strength as the Saskatchewan at an equal <listance from 
 
31 Tin- Sources of SaskatJidivn and Athabasca Rivers 
 
 its source, the great ice-fields of the Columbia and surrounding 
 peaks evidently contributed much more largely to the southern river. 
 
 The Athabasca, at its source, is divided into three streams, and 
 till they are reached at their junction, almost all scenic beauty is 
 at a standstill. Not so the moS4uitoes, deer-flies, bull-dogs, and 
 caribou-flies ; they were there by the millions to torment man and 
 beast ; but not even they could deter us from a dt jire to see Fortress 
 Lake, discovered and named by Dr. Coleman in 1893, visited by 
 Wilcox in i8g6, and Habel in 1901. 
 
 In my diary I find this entry, " July 10, Indian Camp (our 
 camps were all named to avoid confusion). The mosquitoes have 
 shrieked and buzzed all night about our heads. If the number 
 increases in direct ratio to the number jf miles we go, at Fortress 
 Lake we will be breathing and eating the pests." The words proved 
 later to be almost a prophecy, though it was a matter of flics, not 
 mosquitoes. While visiting the Soutli or Columbia branch of the 
 Athabasca, we were surrounded and overwhelmed, one evening at 
 supper, by thousands of tiny flies, which though tlioy did not bite, 
 clung in clouds about us, drowned in our tea. became hopelessly 
 entangled in the butter, died by hundreds in the apple-sauce, flew 
 into ears, eyes, and nostrils, till we were distracted. 
 
 Having crossed the southeast branch of the Athabasca, wc con- 
 tinued along the southwest branch, which Coleman has named the 
 Chaba (beaver). Here we found a paradise for the horses, and 
 made camp under the shadow of a noble crag, which proved later 
 to be Fortress Mountain, and for which the lake was named. The 
 lake being still an unknown quantity, the following day we made the 
 ascent of a mountain (Mt. Quincy) opposite the Fortress and after 
 a long, hot, weary scramble, Fortress Lake burst upoi our sight. 
 lying like an excjuisite bluc-grcen ribbon among the spruce-grown 
 valleys below. It is about nine miles long, with an imposing moun- 
 tain heavily covered with snow, rising at the far end. Habel has 
 called it Mt. Blanc, while Wilcox seems to think it the long-lost 
 Hooker. 
 
 Heavy thunder-showers prevented any photography worth men- 
 tioning, and we returned to camp to move our belongings to the 
 shores of the lake. Beautiful as the lake in its exquisite setting 
 is, it is no place for a permanent camp. The eastern end of the 
 lake is a marsh, while the north and south shores are impenetrable 
 (53) 
 
Mary T. S. Schaffer 2j 
 
 owing to the dense forests and undergrowth. A raft was tlie only 
 practical solution for reaching the western terminus and main out- 
 let of the lake, and that was out of the question for us, as we had 
 nothing with us but our valuable lash-ropes. Consequently we con- 
 tented ourselves with a trip on our horses to the end of the Chaba 
 valley, which proved to be about five miles long. Two miles south 
 of the lake a stream joins the Chaba from the southeast and seems 
 longer than the Chaba. The end of the Chaba valley is blocked 
 by two tine glacier-tongues heavily covered with debris ; a huge 
 avalanche, 30 or 40 feet thick, choked the narrow gorge one half 
 mile from the extreme end, on our visit in \qoy (Mabel mentions 
 the same in 1901) while beautiful water- falls on our right fell hun- 
 dreds of feet from the precipices looming far above our heads. 
 
 Ileautiful as Fortress Lake and her surrounding crags were, we 
 were glad to say " good-bye " after thirty-six hours on her oozing 
 inhospitable shores and turn our faces toward the more southeasterly 
 branch of the .Athabasca. To this stream we were particularly 
 tempted by having seen from a distance, an uncommonly fine pyram- 
 idal, snow-capped peak, which we later decided could be no other 
 than Collie's Mt. Columbia. Habel, who is the only other white 
 person to have entered this valley so far as is known, records it 
 in a short paper in Apticilacliia as " Gamma," and has reproduced 
 with it a most striking picture. To the northeast of Columbia, a 
 long spur juts out from that mountain, which \vc called " Edward 
 the Seventh." The a.spcct of this valley is totally difl^erent from 
 that of the Chaba. It is about 25 miles in length ; the stream at 
 the junction of the two rivers seems to be about one half the size 
 it is twelve miles nearer its source (bespeaking an underground 
 passage), while nniskegs and bottomless mountain streams make 
 the travelling wearisome for at least fifteen miles. The last day's 
 ride was one of unconunon impressiveness, and I quote from my 
 diary. "August i. To-day the hill-sides on both right and left, 
 were wooded to the base with rich, deep-green spruces, mountain- 
 torrents like snowy threads peeped from amidst the foliage and the 
 tumbling waters sent forth a nnisic not to be surpassed. The thud 
 of the horses' feet, the rushing of the glaciated river, and all else 
 was silent. Columbia, which Collie reckons as 12,000 feet, loomed 
 in pyramidal majesty at the end of the valley, while high surround- 
 ing peaks came and went as we crept along among the lower hills. 
 (54) 
 
J3 The Sources of Saskalchewcm and Athabasca Rivers 
 
 Alberta, Wooley, Stutfield, Diadem, and other mountains figured 
 in our names for the unknown summits, but our point of observa- 
 tion was far tri. low, to be at all certain of any of them. Caribou 
 tracks grew more and more numerous ; here and there teepee-poles 
 on the open hill-sides bespoke the some-time presence of the Indian 
 hunter. With no timber-work to impede our progress, we rapidly 
 iieared the base of Mt. Columbia. Our course lay across the wide 
 shingle-flats, which then, at low water, was a garden of the pink 
 Epilobium {Chamocnerion latifolium) and here and there silvery 
 cascades fell hundreds of feet down sheer cliffs." 
 
 About two miles north of Mt. Columbia, a much longer stream 
 oomes in from the west; this we explored the next day, but as 
 usual, the clouds came down and oblii<;rated everything of interest. 
 .Apparently there is a high mountain at the far end, and a glacier 
 flowing from it, seems worthy of study. Having in our ignorance, 
 dragged our horses to the base of Mt. Columbia, we quickly saw 
 we must drag them away again on account of feed, so retired to 
 two small islands four miles down the river, where a limited anioimt 
 of slou.th-grass was found on the river's left. Throughout the 
 entire Athabasca region this problem of feed was almost as serious 
 as the rivers themselves. After waiting three days, we never got 
 any particularly fine pictures of that wonderful mountain, being 
 at all times either surrounded by clouds, or else steeped in flat 
 sunshine. 
 
 From the Columbia Branch, we now traced our way back to the 
 main Athabasca, and from there to the Su Wapta, where we went 
 in search of the Su Wapta Gorge. We found it within a mile of 
 the mouth, and though the whole country is a counfy of gorges, 
 this ( is uncommonly fine. The walls are probably 150 feet high, 
 the water makes a plunge of 50 feet at the upper end, tiien rushes 
 s ■cthing and boiling through a deep elbow-shaped cut. Some one 
 has hewn and thrown three trees across the narrowest part of the 
 gorge (perhaps 20 feet wide), and cut on a near-by tree the faceti- 
 ous notice, " Xo toll charged on this bridge." We had intended our 
 next stopping-place to be Diadem Creek, where we hoped to climb 
 and locate the peaks named by Collie's party in that section. This 
 was however impossible as there was not a sign of horse-feed, and 
 we were compelled to move on up the river for two miles where 
 we went into camp fur a couple of days. Here we ascended a creek 
 (55) ' 
 
I 
 
 Mary T. S. Schaffcr 
 
 =4 
 
 to the fine (jlacier at its source, climbed a low mountain on the 
 creek's left (about 9000 feet), and were tmdoubtedly in the midst 
 of Wooley, Stutfield and Diadem, hut which was which, it was hard 
 to say with the Hmited description given by their sponsors. On Au- 
 gust 16. we climbed Peak Wilcox (10.050 feet), and should have 
 had an interesting view of the country we had j'tst come from, and 
 others to which we were bound — but for the usual clouds. 
 
 On August 17, wc were camped at 7000 feet, just below Wilcox 
 Pass. The morning opened with a regular, old-fashioned snow- 
 storm, and the arrival at our tent-door of a total stranger before 
 any one was awake. It was a queer sensation, looking out from 
 one's sleeping-bag and seeing a man when there was no cause to 
 think that such an object save our own guides were within a hundred 
 miles of us. It proved to be Dr. Coleman's party. Dr. Coleman who 
 had threaded the by-ways of so much of this country through which 
 we had just been, and of whom we had spnkcn .w> often while in 
 the mazes of the Athabasca sources. 
 
 It proved a pleasant meeting in spite of driving snows, and we 
 parted — they for the Y' 'low-head Pass and wc for the West Hranch 
 and the i'.razeau country. "The Wer.t-I!ranch-of-thc-\orth-Fork- 
 of-the- Saskatchewan ! " The most beautiftil valley of all those we 
 visited, and to go by such a name ! May it some day receive its 
 due ; certain it is. it I'.as not had it yet. It is essentially a valley of 
 tumbling cascades and deep gorges, of muskegs and sloughs at 
 its mouth, and shingle-flats at its source, with few good camp- 
 grounds except on the pass. It runs in a straight line for alrout 
 fifteen miles, when Mts. .-Mexandra, Gable and I.ycll, with their 
 snowy glaciers block the way. Here at right angles, another stream 
 comes in direct from Thompson Pass and the Columbia ice-fie'ds, 
 about fifteen miles distant. To avoid the hard travelling which 
 following the river involves, those who may follow in the future 
 will find a hunter's shack about five miles east of the base of Gable 
 Peak, on the river's left. Fifty yards to the cast of it. they will strike 
 into the mountain and there come upon a fairly good trail winding 
 over the shoulder of the hill. Xo packs had ever been to the summit 
 of the Tliompson Pass before, and it took some careful work to 
 get the loaded animals up and around the rock ridges which balked 
 us every few yards. What a camp that was by the calm, deep-green 
 lake, which lies at the foot of Outram's Watchman's Peak! Not 
 (56) 
 
25 The Sources of Saskatchewan and Athabasca Rivers 
 
 even the sipfn of the indefatigable Indian hunter was visible, only 
 the little people of the wilderness, whose trails were everywhere. 
 We drank from the clear, cold waters, and named it " Nashan-c^en " 
 — Stoney for " Wolverine-go-quick," our friend the hunter — 
 Simpson. 
 
 We found the task of taking the horses to the summit of Thomp- 
 son Pass a much easier one than we had first hoped. It is very 
 steep in places, but the rock ridges, running transversely to the 
 valley, made good shelves for footing. A good camp ground will 
 be found a few hundred feet below the 6800 foot summit, on the 
 lake shore. A low spur of Mt. Bryce, altitude about <)ooo feet, 
 gave us that which we had come .so far to see, a view of the great 
 Columbia ice-fields. Stretching for thirty miles to the north, the 
 sight was one never to be forgotten ! So cold, so still, so silent and 
 haughty in their supreme, icy beauty, they well repaid for all the 
 hardships of reaching them. Outrain says they contain at least 
 200 square miles, and it can well be believed, from our point of 
 vantage there seemed no limit to the billows and billows of ice. It 
 was a grand marshaling of the monarchs. We stood in the heart 
 of the highest which the Rocky range has to give to those who love 
 the hills; and at last I was willing to admit, that in spite of the 
 drudgery and fatigue, there is a fascination in reaching the " top." 
 The nipping winds however, stiffened our enthusiasm for even that 
 wonderful sight ; so with a brisk run down the sliding scree, a plunge 
 through the low scrub, a few tumbles over 'he rocks, we were back 
 at Nashan-esen Camp, and a delicious supper of bacon and beans. 
 
 As we emerged from the wonderful valley, in a downpour of 
 rain, we christened it " Nashan-esen," hoping that " West-Branch- 
 of-the-\orth-Fork " might some day be forgotten. 
 
 September 5, saw us heading for Nigel Pass and the Brazeau 
 country. The trail lies on the river's left, and at the summit, it will 
 be found to wind among the rocks on the south side of the pass. 
 When once found, the way proved perfectly easy going, hiving no 
 doubt been a very old Indian trail. 
 
 On the far side of the pass, one branch of the Brazeau has its 
 rise ; this branch we followed for about 30 miles to the Brazeau 
 Lake, keeping on the river's left for the first ten miles, when what 
 there is of trail, crosses to the right side, and eventually si-rmounts 
 a long, hillv shoulder and drops down to the main river. 
 (57) 
 
 1 
 
 -:'. 
 
-Ji 
 
 Mary T. S. Scluiffcr =fi 
 
 Brazeau Lake is a beautiful, aquamarine sheet of water about 
 six miles long, whose low surroundinp; mountains, on that sunn\ 
 morning of our introduction to it, wre exquisitely reflected in its 
 mirrored surface. We found a well-marked trail on its eastern 
 shore, and every indication that it had long been a favorite hunting- 
 ground of the Indians. Pushing on by an old and ideal camp- 
 ground at the lower end of the lake, we camped that night at its 
 northern extremity. Beyond the lake the valley extends for fully 
 twelve miles. At its extreme limit rises a fine peak, which Cole- 
 man has called Mt. Brazeau, and though unclimbcd. be reckons it 
 at 11,000 feet or over. Tempted by an old but very good Indian 
 trail, we followed it the next day. to the very limit of horse climb- 
 ing, or close on to Qooo feet, and readied as drearv an alpine 
 view as I ever saw. There was but one event to redeem and justify 
 the expedition. The snow lay deep, even below tree-line, the ic.\ 
 winds whistled through the spruces, and shrieked past the bare 
 rock ridges, and the low-hanging clouds obscured the higher and 
 distant peaks. .At last even the dying alpine flowers were left be- 
 hind, and we crossed a rocky ridge to meet a band of mountain 
 sheep. Surprised at our sudden coming, in the twinkling of an 
 eye, they had scaled impossible cliffs covered with ice, and were 
 gazing down upon us from 1000 feet above. The brave old ram 
 his head accentuated with a pair of magnificent horns, never flinched 
 from his post, or removed his eye from the enemy, till in oui 
 descent, the lower jutting rocks hid us from view. Returning up tlu 
 Brazeau River, we took a side trip to Jonas Pass, the stream from 
 which flows into the Brazeau about five miles from N'igel Pass 
 This pass was tried by a white man in 1893, Dr. Coleman, when 
 finding his way to the Yellowhead Pass ; and excepting one hunter, 
 I have heard of no one using it since. In many ways it is an 
 improvement on the Wilcox Pass by which to reach the Athabasca^ 
 avoiding much that is disagreeable on the Su Wapta. To us at 
 this late season of the year, it had no " tourist " charms. The 
 summit of the pass was burdened with two, three, and even foui 
 feet of snow, which with the hard work on the horses, the brilliant 
 glare on unprotected eyes from the snow, and the cutting, driving 
 wind lashing our faces, seemed endless. A fine, solitary black bear, 
 out for any belated berries, he might find beneath the snow, was the 
 (58) 
 
J? The Sources of Sa.'kalchcu-an and Athabasca Ritcrs 
 
 only bit of life to greet us on the great white silent stretch of 
 loneliness. 
 
 September 21 saw us anxiously scanning the clouds and a rift 
 in the hills to the south of us, from our camp on the Bra/cau. We 
 were to try still another new pass, the Cataract, and this also almost 
 Hiiknown except to Coleman. Being but .-?oo feet lower than " Jonas," 
 <"■ 755° feet high, we had little to expect in the way of an open 
 trail. It proved to be quite all that we could ask to get our horses 
 through, and was even more tedious than "Jonas." The Indian 
 trail through the forest is well marked, and had there been no snow, 
 we might have found such a trail as that which goes over Nigel 
 Pass; as it was, it was one long hard grind through fine, fluffy 
 snow, which allowed the horses to sink almost to the rocks beneath, 
 plunge forward, and sink again. 
 
 The south side of the pass is excessively tedious, as much of the 
 way is avalanche-swept, and the apology for a trail is constantlv 
 blocked by fallen timbers. From the summit of the Pass to Pinto 
 Lake is about fifteen miles. Here, owing to a pair of snow-blind 
 eyes, we were forced to remain over a day ; and as provisions were 
 getting low, the guides reinforced by three of the strongest horses, 
 pack-saddles, and ropes, crossed Pinto Pass to the junction of the 
 Xorth Fork and Nashan-esen Rivers, and returned that night with 
 the food we had cached at that point. It was only a matter of thirty 
 miles, but it was over a pass which even Dr. Coleman gave up 
 attempting with horses after investigating it for that purpose. 
 
 We had traversed it the year before from the west to the east, 
 but that was a different undertaking from this expedition, when the 
 men were compelled to cut steps in the ice near the summit to enable 
 the animals to get any foot-hold at all. Pinto Lake has long been 
 a favorite fishing-ground for the Stoney Indians; they had just 
 made a visitation to those waters, and as Indians always do, had 
 cleaned out every fish that would rise to bait. 
 
 From Pii o Lake to the Kootenai Plains the trail follows Cata- 
 ract Creek. It is a distance of about twenty-five miles to its 
 junction with the main river, more or less uninteresting, and fire- 
 swept from end to end. In the late fall the Saskatchewan is 
 et y enough to ford where it divides into several channels near 
 the base of the Sentinel Mountain. On the golden Kootenai Plains 
 we rested and dallied among the Indians for a few days, then 
 (59) 
 
Gahi.e AM) Alexamira CiI.acif.rs in \ashan-esrn \'.' 
 
 I 
 
 "Mummery" ox Baker Pass. 
 
Mary T. S. Siltufffr 
 
 JS 
 
 I 
 
 hurried to the junction of licar treek aiul the Sr.skatclicH.nn. crossed 
 that river and ascended the \ortli Fork in searcli of a valley, wliich 
 Outram mentions on liis map. " Thc-\'alley-of-the-I.akes." The 
 entrance to this valley is quite nine miles from the mouth of the 
 North Fork. At low water, a ford may be easily made opposite 
 the rift in the hills, but at high water, can onlv b^ reached by 
 crossing belosv on the main stream and followinB the west shore of 
 the river. The trip though short, was an arduous one. and almost 
 devoid of real interest. We found a very a icnt Indian trail, 
 which needed much circumnavigating and cutting, to get even our 
 now depleted packs through; the growth was very heavy and the 
 way consequently dark and gloomy. By a brawling, noisy little 
 river, we made the only camp where a sign of feed seemed possible 
 for the tired horses, and that in the midst of fallen timbers on the 
 avalanche-swept hill-sides. Outram describes this valley as he saw 
 it from the summit of Mt. Lycll, 11,500 feet below him; we saw it 
 at 8000 feet, where we climbed the following day, the sun beating 
 down upon us, and the surrounding clouds so low tliat I-yell and 
 everything else interesting was utterly obscured. The lovely lakes 
 were only sloughs after all and the chief joy of the trip proved to 
 be that we had been the first travellers to break the sixll of silence 
 in that lonely cleft of the hills. It had been many \cars since an 
 Indian had been there, and the only other sign of life, was the blow 
 of the axe from a solitary white hunter who had passed in the dead 
 of winter. It was now October 5. and Howse and Baker Passes, 
 our return route, quite unknown. Up the Middle Fork and to the 
 Howse Pass, was like reading ancient history. One hundred and 
 fiftv years ago. the Indians from the Kootenai country took this 
 portion of the trail on their journey to the Saskatchewan Plains 
 (hence the name Kootenai Plains), to trade with Kline of Jasper 
 House. As far as Howse Pass, it was delightful trailing; being but 
 4800 feet, we were on and over almost before we knew, and soon 
 tumbling down beside the merry, chattering Blaeberry River. The 
 instant Howse Pass is crossed, the character of the vegetation 
 changes, and the trail becomes impeded with heavy fallen timber 
 and an almost tropical undergrowth. Government surveyors had 
 preceded us in the fall of 1907, and though the way was not a bed 
 of roses, miles and miles of fatiguing work had been saved our men 
 as far as the " Hunter's Cabin." 
 
 (60) 
 
") 
 
 I lie .S'iKOii'.t 11/ Sankiililii'uuii 11111/ Alhabasca Rivtrs 
 
 Oil Or. t'i)ll c's map. ono has but to follow a plain red line, which 
 liirn» to the left of the "Cabin"; and the Raker Pass seems the 
 easiest thinf; imaginable. In reality, the niacberry is followed for 
 two miles further after passinR the scconil cabin (we never saw 
 the first one), when the trail turns sharply to the left and winds 
 up a hill-side. This emerges shortly on a very bowUlery river-bed. 
 which is to be crossed nt the traveller's discretion, when Haker 
 Pass with its trials and li tions begins. Again I quote from my 
 
 diary. " Quite ignorant of distances by this time, our horses having 
 had but little feed for the last three days, and having already ccnne 
 ten miles since morning, we with only our saddlc-aiiinia!s pushed 
 ahead with the injunction to stop for camp at the first sign of grass." 
 It was quite nnon. and we hurried along. The trail lay over a steep 
 moss-c »vcrcd slope, so steep there was no thought of riding : so 
 steep, that place after place the horses would spring one and two 
 feet to reach a bench above ; so steep and continuous, that they were 
 forced to cling to the hill-sides while resting. 
 
 Pack and saddle-horses were all soon in a ilrlppiiig perspiration. 
 Occasioi.ally a call would come from behind. " Is there au\' end to 
 it?" There seemed none. The 'vay was clear and well blazed, 
 we must be on the trail and on we climbed — climbed .ill we reached 
 timber-line at five o'clock. Not a mouthful of feed had we passed 
 since leaving " Trapper's Cabin " — blueberry-bushes and mess, no 
 more. Were we even on Raker Pass, and if so, why had we climbed 
 to this high point.' He could have camped anywhere, it was our 
 starving horses to whom our thoughts turned. 
 
 W., who had pulled us out of so many straits, went off to in- 
 vestigate; the time seemed interminable ai. we watched the slowly 
 uescending sun, now almost at the horizon. Mt. Mummery looked 
 down upon us in icy indifference from across the valley, we stood 
 clinging to the half frozen hill-side, while the weary, hungry horses, 
 with drooping heads, tried to retain a foothold on the slippery, 
 sliding mud. No one had had a mouthful of food since breakfast 
 (we had come fully twenty miles), darkness would soon be upon us, 
 we were 7200 feet above sea-level, and under the circumstances, 
 no one could honestly say he felt cheerful. Then W. returned with 
 the good news that though he was not positive we were on the right 
 track, he saw a slough in a valley below, with indications of feed, 
 and he thought we might reach it before d rk. We forgot hunger, 
 (61) 
 
Mary T. S. Schiigt'r 
 
 y 
 
 mud, colli, cvi'rythiiiK but that grass btlow ; an<l as thouRli the 
 horses liail lUKkTstood, with us, phiniji'il di>wu a long, mossy gully. 
 In a very few minutes clmpping loo) feet to a liny stream which wa» 
 flowing exactly as we wished it to flow. The sight of a horse's 
 in)print cheered lis ; otlf came the packs " no hobbles to-night, there 
 is grass in plenty, and wherever we 1k', there are two days' rest for 
 our faithful friends." The next diy disclosed the f,ict that we had 
 really struck the Baker Pass, were right. on it in fact; but after 
 studving the map and the hours of travil the day before wc found 
 the map made the distance alxiut ten miles, while we had travelled 
 twenty. Under the circumstances it sceiiieil rather excusable, that 
 for once we had felt a sensation of lieiug lost, (limbing a shoulder 
 of Mt. Habel the next da>, we sDon had our bearings, looked down 
 into the " I lap " and upon -in e\(|iMsite little Like poised high on a 
 shoulder nearest the Yoho; to the north. Munntiery and ["orbes. 
 With binoculars we could see the cairns on Collie and the \'ice- 
 President; and into the l!eaver-tail \allcv— our wa.\- home.